Taming a Little Dragon
by The Elven Daughter
Summary: Charlie runs into a stranger that may just change him forever. One shot.


A/N: Alright, so I wanted to do something with Charlie and this original character, but nothing I thought of was working until I heard this song. It's called Stranger by Chris August. I know Charlie is supposed to be the bachelor of the Weasley boys, but I think it's just cause he would need someone that's as exciting, or more so, than his dragons. Oh, and as always, anything you recognize does not belong to me.

_ Stranger, till I hear your laughter?_  
_Crazy, cause you're all I'm after._  
_It's a pleasure, It was nice to have met you._  
_And I'll remember_  
_To never for get you._

_[Bridge:]_  
_Cause when I'm excited,_  
_I don't hide it, just to let you know_  
_I'm feeling you baby from bottom to the top,_  
_How could I not stop to say hello_

_[Chorus:]_  
_So hello there,_  
_How are you amazing_  
_It's nice to finally meet you,_  
_Been patiently waiting,_  
_Been waiting just to see you,_  
_To tell you I dreamed you,_  
_Now I found you so call off the search_  
_Cause I found my stranger._

_Stranger, till they call your name_  
_It's amazing, it's a simple thing._  
_I see you walking, don't you walk too far._  
_I may be nervous but I wanna be where you are._

_[Bridge:]_  
_Cause when I'm excited,_  
_I don't hide it, just to let you know_  
_I'm feeling you baby from bottom to the top,_  
_How could I not stop to say hello_

_[Chorus:]_  
_So hello there,_  
_How are you amazing,_  
_It's nice to finally meet you,_  
_Been patiently waiting,_  
_Been waiting just to see you,_  
_To tell you I dreamed you,_  
_Now I found you so call off the search_  
_Cause I found my..._

_Strangest thing that I ever did feel,_  
_I had to make you smile just to prove it's real,_  
_It was the lack of starving attention?_  
_So if you're feeling the symptoms today_  
_All you gotta do is say..._

_Hello there,_  
_How are you amazing_  
_It's nice to finally meet you,_  
_Been patiently waiting,_  
_Been waiting just to see you,_  
_To tell you I dreamed you,_  
_Now I found you so call off that search_  
_Cause I found my stranger._

_Cause I found my stranger_

He first saw the little spitfire when she was in the process of a unpleasant break-up. Well, unpleasant for the fellow at least, she seemed to be enjoying herself. Whatever the man had done, he certainly seemed to deserve her shouting at him. Then she poured his glass over his head. She had gotten up to leave and was actually out the door, walking towards where Charlie stood when the man chasing her had caught up to her. Her grin left her for the first time in the entire spectacle. He had raised his hand to her and Charlie grabbed the man's wrist.

"I wouldn't."

The man looked at him and then at the girl. Her eyes, while blue, burned with the coldest intensity that Charlie had ever seen before.

"You're not worth it," he shook Charlie off and walked away in the opposite direction.

"Thanks." She glanced up at him.

"Not a problem," he grinned at her, "I'm Charlie."

"Kaida. Want to get a drink? I mean, since you helped me out and all."

"I'd love to." She grinned back at him.

**2 hours later**

After a few drinks, they had both loosened up and were laughing as if they were the best of friends.

"You've got how many siblings?"

"Well, one older brother, that's Bill. Then there are my four younger brothers; Percy, George and Fred, and Ron, and then, last but most certainly not least is my baby sister, Ginny."

"I don't think I'd have been able to handle that growing up. It was only ever just me and my mom, well and whoever her flavor of the week was."

"Oh?"

"My father left when I was an infant. Mom thinks that's why I have such an uncontrollable temper. She's even taken to calling me the dragon lady when she thinks I can't hear her! Granted my name does mean 'little dragon'."

"No!" Charlie couldn't help his laughter.

"Yes! And I don't know why. I'm not that bad!"

He couldn't keep himself from guffawing at her, "Were you not present in your own body this afternoon?"

"Well, he'd been an ass, he deserved all that I did to humiliate him."

"So says the dragon lady."

Kaida tried to glare at him, but was soon overcome with mirth. "Okay, I should try to control my temper a bit more."

"It's alright, according to my family I've got a way with wild creatures. I can gentle them and such."

"I'm a wild creature now?"

They both started laughing.

**2 days later**

"This is crazy. I never do this."

"What, you don't sleep with near strangers?" Kaida looked at Charlie in askance.

"No."

"Glad to be your first then."

"You're crazy."

"I like to think of it as wild."

Charlie looked at her, her hair flattened and askew at odd angles from the pillow and his hands running through her hair the night before. As soon as she grinned, he knew he was her's.

"Round 2? I don't think we ever figured out who won that last round."

Charlie grinned at her, "Definitely." He rolled on top of her and their laughter filled her small apartment.

**2 weeks later**

"I don't understand why it's such a big deal. Charlie, he's just a friend."

"Have you not noticed how he looks at you?"

"Oh, and how about that blonde tart who looks at you?"

"What blonde tart?"

Kaida brought one hand up in an super effeminate gesture to her chest and started in a high pitched voice, "'Oh Charlie, I just don't know what I'd have done if you couldn't have helped me out'," she dropped her hand, her voice back to its regular pitch, "that blonde tart."

"She's one of my brother's employees and she needed help at their shop-"

"Yes, the same shop I'm not allowed to go to for some reason. Why don't you want me meeting your family Charlie? I get that it's a little early to even be thinking about it, but you're acting mighty odd anytime I say something about eventually meeting them or your friends."

"It's not that I don't want you to meet them."

"Good, then what is it?"

Charlie glared at her. "Maybe, they're the weird ones, and I don't want to scare you off. Did you think of that?"

Her eyes softened a little, then hardened again. "That sounds like such a good excuse. How are they weird Charlie?"

"I can't even tell you how weird, cause I don't know where to start."

"Well, let's think this through. You've met one of my friends already. Who by the way keeps telling me that if I don't want you, that she is more than willing to take you off my hands. But you don't even want me meeting any of your friends."

"My best friend is out of the country, and I don't even know when he'll be back."

"Well, isn't that convenient? What's his name?"

"Bill. My brother is my best friend. Okay?"

"How's he weird Charlie? Afraid that he isn't actually, and that I might prefer him to you or something?"

"Of course not."

"Then what?"

"They're magic."

"What?"

The silence practically imploded her apartment.

Charlie looked down, unwilling for her to see any weakness in his eyes, and unconsciously adopting an equal yet non-confrontational pose like he would with a Chinese Fireball.

"My family is not normal. We're all wizards and witches."

"Pull the other one."

"Honestly." He chanced a glance up and pulled out his wand. "I can do magic."

"Prove it."

Charlie repaired a chair that Kaida had been complaining about needing to fix for a couple of days. Her eyes widened when she took in the fact that it was fine. "You can do magic."

"Yes."

"And so can the rest of your family?"

"Yes."

She grinned, lights in her eyes dancing, "That is so cool."

Charlie brought his head up to look at her. "You're not upset with me?"

"Oh, I'm still upset with you, but it makes more sense now. If I promise to not freak out over the magic, can I meet Bill?"

"I'd love for you to."

They walked towards one another and started kissing. Charlie lifted Kaida up and set her on the counter in her kitchen so that he wouldn't have to hold her up the entire time they snogged.

**2 months later**

"I'm nervous."

Charlie glanced at her, "Seriously?"

"What if they don't like me? Bill did take a while to warm up to me."

"You didn't exactly help with that."

"It's not my fault that he can't take a joke."

"Well, the twins will certainly adore you just for that reason."

She glanced back at him. "I'm being stupid aren't I?"

Charlie grinned, "Maybe just a little."

"You did warn them that I wasn't magic right?"

"Oh I knew there was something I forgot."

"Charlie!"

"Joking. Merlin, love, you are tense."

"So explain to me how we're getting to you parent's place again, and what's it called again?"

Charlie smiled, "It's called the Burrow. And I'm going to Apparate us there."

"And that's like teleportation right?"

"Exactly. You'll feel a slight tugging on you, but don't try to fight me while doing it okay?"

"I'll try."

"Come here."

Kaida walked over and hugged Charlie. He kissed her forehead and touched his to her's. "Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

Charlie smiled again and they blinked out of her apartment. The air rushed in, filling the void that had once had housed Kaida and Charlie with a pop. They arrived outside of the Burrow with another loud pop.

"You feel okay?"

"Yeah, just a little odd. Do you really think they'll like me?"

"They'll love you. Now my little dragon, go be the spitfire I know you can be, and they'll love you even more than me."

She grinned at him and holding his hand, went to go knock on the Burrow door.

**2 years later**

"But why won't you marry me if you still want to be with me?"

"Because marriage is archaic and it's just not good for women as a whole."

"What?"

"It isn't!"

Charlie squinted at her. "Why don't you really want to get married Kaida?"

Her lip started trembling, and her eyes got watery. "I just, I watched my mom growing up you know? And I couldn't believe everything she would let those men get away with. How she'd give herself to them, even marry some of them, although they were terrible for her. They dragged her down until she was beaten down. I can't do what she did. I can't give myself to someone like that. Even if it's only in name. I need to be my own person. I can't be owned by someone else."

"But marriage isn't like that. Don't misunderstand, I get it. I understand how watching her with those guys could affect you, because my parent's marriage has definitely affected how I look at relationships. I can't imagine having anything less than what they have. And we have more than what they have love. There are days when everything you do bothers me, but I can't help loving you anyway. I can't imagine life without you. If I try I start panicking."

"I can't Charlie. Don't get me wrong, I love you. More than words could ever tell, but I can't marry you."

"Okay."

Tears were cascading down Kaida's cheeks.

"Are you going to leave me?"

"Never."

She glance up at him. "Really?"

"I'm a dragon tamer love, how could I leave when you aren't tame yet?"

She launched herself at him. And he caught her.

**2 decades later**

"Mom! We're going to be late."

"Ariel, we are perfectly on time. The train won't leave for another 20 minutes."

"But Mom-"

"Don't you 'but mom' me. We're fine. Now, you have everything?"

"Yes mom."

"Your uncles didn't give you any of their joke products to sneak in did they?" Kaida's eyes got squinty at him.

"No Mom. Can I cross over onto the platform now?"

"Wait for your da. He should be here any moment."

"And here I am."

Kaida smiled at Charlie and Ariel hugged his Da.

"Alright, your Da will see you off now." Charlie gave her a quick kiss before heading onto Platform 9 and ¾ with their eldest son. She sat at a bench that kept the exit for the platform in sight to wait for her love.

Charlie's face lit up at the sight of her waiting for him. "I wasn't sure you'd stay."

"You act like I'd run off at the drop of a hat."

"Well you did run to your mom's the first couple of times you got pregnant."

"I didn't know how you'd take it. Some men see that as too much responsibility and just leave."

"Well, I showed you didn't I?"

"That you did," she curled herself around him, "So Mr. Dragon Tamer, what do you plan to show me next?"


End file.
